For Her Sins
by Neuroscpr
Summary: One night, Xhalax Sun went against the peacekeepers to meet her daughter. And for her sins, she was given a mission.


This is the start of a potentially long fic. Please let me know if you want this to continue. I'm not sure at this point. Thanks  
  
Fic: For Her Sins  
rating: R  
setting: throughout season 3  
  
thanks to can for her help  
  
  
"My old girlfriend, Alex, always used to get pissed at me when I drank too much." John spoke  
the words in a special kind of slurred vocabulary as he lifted his glass for another round.  
  
The bartender laughed heartily as he poured some more dark fluid for the talkative customer in  
front of him. It had been raslak at some point but stronger stuff had been called for.  
  
"I'm not drunk am I?" The human's faltered slightly in his seat but managed not to fall off. He  
was suddenly asking himself why he had done this.  
  
The man looked at John with newly hatched concern and nodded to his right. "Why don't you  
ask your lady friend?"  
  
John turned to face his companion with a look of restrained anger. Funny, he didn't remember  
being able to restrain himself while drunk before. "She doesn't care. She hates me."  
  
Aeryn put down her cup of non-alcoholic liquid and sighed. She wasn't quite sure why she there,  
except that John had requested she come. The ex-peacekeeper looked at him now as a familiar  
emotion filled her. Guilt. She turned to look at him.  
  
He met her eyes for a moment and the stare was remarkably sobering. John saw something there  
that he hadn't expected. Somehow, he knew that at the very least she didn't hate him. "Sorry  
Aeryn. I think I ruined the evening."  
  
She pushed herself off the stool and sighed. It had taken quite some time for her to even allow  
close contact with him. Then she'd gone and ruined everything by saying the wrong thing again.   
"We should get back to Moya. You're bound to get yourself into trouble in this state."  
  
John nodded without question and stood to leave. Without a word, she grabbed his arm and  
helped him walk out the front door. Aeryn took a look to the left and right as they exited. She  
didn't see the one watching them.  
  
He had seen her first at the bar but couldn't get closer without bringing attention to himself. Now  
he stood outside with a plain view of Aeryn Sun. She walked with the human but held her head  
up high as if walking alone. He recognized that.   
  
He recognized a lot of things.  
  
Dressed in blacks and reds, he stood conspicuously out from the locals who passed by.   
Nevertheless, none stopped to look or talk to him. Everyone knew how dangerous peacekeepers  
could be. Especially ones with triangles carved into the backs of their right hands  
  
Watching Aeryn Sun with the human, he came to realize something important about the mission  
he had thus far failed to complete.   
  
It's result had been decided over twenty cycles ago.  
  
  
  
They walked back out into the street and met the third member of the team. She had her cloak off  
by now and carried a small black device in her hand. A heat sensor.  
  
Cora had long blond hair that was braided tightly behind her head. Her face was thin and free of  
scars, the sign of a new recruit. Without uttering a word, she nodded towards the roof of the  
building they had just left.  
  
Both turned to follow her gaze. A light was glowing on the second story. The sound of shouts  
could be heard. Xhalax was first to regain her composure. "We have to move now!"  
  
It was almost too late. Pulse fire erupted from every window that the building had. The night air  
turned red as the flashes tore through it. Something was lobbed towards them.  
  
Draven saw this and began to run in the opposite direction. "Good advice. Now move!" He  
slapped Cora's shoulder as he passed. The two women followed right behind him.  
  
A bright ball of fire exploded on the spot where they had just stood. The flame spread quickly  
and the nearby structures were first to fall victim. Scarrens began pouring out of the target  
building. Out to avenge their loss.  
  
Xhalax, the faster of the three, pulled ahead and made directly for the transport ship she had  
arrived in. Blasts whizzed around her but she paid no attention. Hesitation meant death.  
  
"Come on Cora! Hurry up!" Draven stopped momentarily and threw himself to the ground.   
Shots passed inches above him in response. The peacekeeper looked back at the last of the team  
and saw that she was frightened.  
  
"Draven! I think I've been hit." She was angry at herself despite the legitimate claim. Cora  
knew that Special Ops personnel didn't get frightened. She was breaking protocol.  
  
He looked past her and caught sight of a Scarren gaining ground on them. The enemy stopped in  
the middle of a step and raised his weapon. "Cora!"  
  
She had less than a microt to make her move. It wasn't enough. The blast met directly with her  
boot and sent it flying into the night. Cora screamed in pain and dropped to the ground. Where  
her leg had been a moment ago, there was now only a bloody stump.  
  
Xhalax reached the transport ship and ripped open its entry hatch. As she jumped inside, the team  
leader turned to check on her fellow soldiers. The sight reminded her of an old line from training.  
  
"The mission is always more important than those undertaking it. All squad members, no matter  
how highly ranked, are expendable if necessary for the objective to be completed."  
  
She frowned. "Draven!"  
  
He looked up at Xhalax as the angry shout reached his ears. He knew what it meant. Draven  
reached for his pulse rifle.  
  
Cora, now losing blood from her leg and mouth, dragged herself slowly through the mud. She  
could barely make out the figure of Draven coming towards her. He was holding out his weapon.  
  
"I'm sorry." Draven fired into the top of her head without waiting for a reply. He then turned  
and ran for the ship.   
  
She waited until he was inside and then closed the hatch. Seconds later the transport was off the  
ground and headed back towards the command carrier. Xhalax leaned back into the pilot's chair  
and sighed.   
  
The radio crackled on. "Status?"  
  
Xhalax looked over at Draven before answering. "Subject terminated. One casualty."  
  
Draven nodded slowly and set his gun down on the seat beside him. "One casualty."  
  
She heard him and tried to meet his eyes. He wouldn't let her. "We had no choice. Saving her  
would of gotten us both-."  
  
"Save it. I don't need you to remind me of protocol Xhalax."  
  
She realized something then. "You two were recreating weren't you?" When Draven stayed  
quiet, she knew the answer.   
  
Her conviction suddenly vanished. 'You always say his name.'  
  
  
  
Xhalax walked silently down the long corridor with her hands stuck firmly at her sides. The  
bright lights above hurt her eyes and forced to look down upon the floor. The idea of this sight  
angered her more than the fact that she had been called in. It was not right for her to look weak  
in front of the others. 'I am not weak.'  
  
She spotted the door ahead of her and stopped abruptly beside it. Unlike the one she had kicked  
in several arns ago, this one was made of metal and slid open when commanded to. A panel  
beside it turned on.  
  
"Identify yourself."  
  
The routine was one she had carried out many times before. Something she never forgot.   
"Senior Officer Xhalax Sun."  
  
The panel honed in on her wide open eyes and flashed. "Identity confirmed."   
With a metallic hiss, the door slid open and allowed her passage.   
  
Xhalax was dressed in full uniform which caused her much discomfort. Her regularly mangled  
hair was tucked back in a tick bundle. She stepped into the adjacent room and sat down in front  
of a large black desk. The woman behind it nodded.  
  
The label on the desk read 'General Raynor.' Sitting up straight and firm, the woman looked  
every bit the part. "That was quick."  
  
Not the least bit nervous, Xhalax nodded curtly. "I felt that a surprise infiltration was the correct  
plan. The Scarrens never expected it."  
  
General Raynor stood up then and walked around her desk. She kept her eyes on her subordinate  
the entire time. "I never doubted that you would succeed."  
  
There was a certain sarcasm behind the statement that made Xhalax pause. Something was  
coming. "Thank you General."  
  
The older woman smiled wryly. "My report does contain one interesting fact though. I  
understand your team suffered a casualty."  
  
Xhalax nodded. "It couldn't be helped. She was reckless." She considered her words for a  
moment. "I should have been more careful."  
  
"It was a difficult assignment. That's why I gave it to you." Raynor circled around the senior  
officer and sat back down at her desk.   
  
She could think of no response to the compliment. Staring straight ahead, she waited for the  
general to continue. Xhalax felt numb.  
  
"I have what you asked for." General Raynor lifted a small black file and tossed it towards the  
woman in front of her. She smiled at the look of pain that spread across Xhalax's face. "It is  
what you wanted, isn't it?"  
  
Xhalax opened the file and read through its contents quickly. Several areas had been deleted to  
conceal classified information. 'Why?' She looked back up at her superior and was disconcerted  
by what she saw.  
  
The irony of this situation amused the general to no end. When she'd been informed, it had  
almost seemed ludicrous. But she was having fun now.   
  
"I have a new assignment for you. It's long term and will require a larger crew than usual."   
Raynor noted the reaction. "You've been especially requested by High Command."  
  
Xhalax leaned forward in her chair and placed the file on the desk in front of her. The gravity of  
what she had just heard did not escape her. She nodded.  
  
"What's involved?" 


End file.
